Apparatus for manufacturing articles from liquid material.



N. D. CRAWFORD. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ARTICLES FROM LIQUIDMATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-9,1915

Patented July 9, 1918.

lNVE/VTOR 11 61! B. Urauford H/3 ATTORNEY NEIL D. CRAWFORD, OFELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO RUBBER REGENERAT- ING COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF INDIANA.

V APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ARTICLES FROM LIQUID MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1918.

Application filed November 9, 1915. Serial No. 60,595.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, NEIL D. CRAWFORD, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Elizabeth, county of Union, State of New Jersey,have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for ManufacturingArticles from Liquid Material, of which the following is a full, clear,and complete disclosure.

This invention relates to the manufacture of various articles fromcertain volatile or other liquids by dipping forms into such liquid andafterward allowing the same to dry or harden. The invention relatesparticularly to the manufacture of rubber articles such as rubbergloves, nipples, etc., in which the forms are successively dipped in asolution of rubber and allowed to dry by evaporation in a suitableatmosphere, or in the presence of a vacuum or partial vacuum.

The object of the present invention is to" produce an apparatus in whichthe dipping and drying operations may be accomplished quickly andefficiently, and in which the volatile constituents of the solution ofrubber into which the goods are dipped may be recovered. For a detaileddescription of one form of my invention reference may be had to thefollowing specification, and to the accompanying drawing forming a partthereof, in which Figure 1 is a Vertical sectional view of my improvedapparatus, certainparts being shown in elevation for the sake ofclearness:

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view, the ri ht-hand ends of thecontainers shown in Fig. 1 bein removed.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a detail of the device showing means forlimiting the motion of the carriers and forms; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in section,

showlng one of the trucks for supporting the forms and the carriers.

Referring to the drawing the numeral 1 indicates the floor of a room inwhich the apparatus is located. Beneath said floor is a pit or well 2 inwhich is located a hydraulic cylinder 3 carrying a plunger 4. At thebottom of the cylinder is a pipe connection 5 through which fluid underpressure is supplied beneath the plunger 4 and through which said fluidmay be allowed to escape. A valve 6 controls the supply and escape of afluid medium under pres- .bearings in the said trucks.

sure, to and from the cylinder 3. The plunger 4 carries at its upper enda platform 7 on which are fixed rails 8 adapted to support a wheeledtank 9. The numeral 10 indicates a casing adapted to surround the tank 9and provided with a movable door 11 through which the tank 9 may beintroduced into the casing by rolling it along the rails 8, the floor 1being also supplied with rails 12 leading up to the casing 10.

The interior of the casing 10 is preferably lined with coils of pipe 13,through which. brine or other cooling medium may be circulated in orderto keep the liquid in the tank at a low temperature thereby preventingtoo rapid evaporation from its surface. On the casing 10 is mounted alarger casing 14 within which the forms being dipped are containedduring the dipping and drying operation. This casing is provided at itsends with suitable doors 15 which allow the introduction of the forms.These doors are designed to fit sufficiently tight to prevent leakagewhen the interior of the chamber is under a partial vacuum. The upperportion of the chamber is preferably provided with' a series of heatingcoils 16 which raise the temperature of the interior of the chambersothat the evapora tion is increased and the drying operation accelerated.

The forms are introduced into and operated within the chamber formed bythe casing 14 in the following manner:

' The numeral 17 indicates a suitable track which forms an extension ofexterior tracks 18 and .19, each of which is preferably formed of angleirons as indicated. Numerals 20 and 20 indicate wheeled trucks adaptedto run on the rails 17 18 and 19. These trucks on each side of thedevice are connected by the shaft 21 which passes through This shaftwhere it passes through said bearings is pr0- vided with small recesses22 located diametrically opposite each other and adapted to receive ametallic ball 23, which is forced downwardly by ahelical spring 24, thelatter being retained in position by a screw plug 25. This arrangementallows the shaft 21 to be rotated within the bearin s, but in twopositions 180 apart the shit (1 will be held from rotation unless someexternal force is applied thereto. The shaft- 21 sup: ports the carrieror table 26 upon which are I mounted the form holders 27. One end of theshaft is provided with ahead .28 in which is a groove 29, so disposed asto be horizontalwhen the carrier 26 is in its up:

right and reversed, positions. Projecting through the side of the casing14 is a short shaft 30 the inner end of which is provided with a rib orflange adapted to fit within the groove 29 in the head 28 carried byeither of the trucks or 20C The shaft 30 carries on its outer end alever or other suitable handle 31 by which said shaft may be rotatedwhen in engagement with one of the heads 28. It Will thus be seen thatwhen a truck is located within the center of. a chamber indicatedindotted lines in I Fig. 1 the handle 31" may be turned 180 or insertedinto the path of the trucks 20 thereby reversing the carriers 26 fromthe positions shownat each end of the casing to an inverted positionshown 1n dotted lines.

The following means are provided for.

moving the trucks 20 and 20 on the rails 17 within the chamber 14.: Thenumerals 32 and 32 indicate arms projecting downwardly from. the trucks20 and 20, respectively, each engaging a series of pins 33 on .one ofthe two belts or sprocket chains 34' located respectively slightly belowthe rails 17 'on opposite sides of the chamber. Each of the chains 34runs over suitable sprocket wheels 35 and 36, the sprocket wheels 36be-- ing keyed, respectively, to transverse shafts 37 and 37' 'capableof being rotated by a removable crank 38. Through the medium of thiscrank the'sprocket chains at opposite sides of the chamber are caused totravel in either direction as required. To limit the motion of thetrucks 20 toward the center. of the chamber I provide two stops. -Theseare shown in the form of two pins 39 and 40 (Fig. 3) adapted to bewithdrawn from and 20. a

In order to separate the tank 9 from the interior of the chamber 14suitable doors are provided as indicated by numerals 41 and 42. Theseare fixed to transverse shafts 43 and 44, which shafts are provided attheir outer ends with suitable handles or cranks 45. Thus. when thetankis being put in use the doors 41 and 42 may be raised and placed in asubstantially vertical position while the forms are being dipped. Whenthe forms are being removed from the chamber 14 the doors 41 and 42 maybe shut thereby isolating the tank 9 and preventing undue evaporation.

The numeral 46 indicates a pipe through which a vacuum may be producedor a suitable drying medium supplied to the clipping chamber.

The operationof dipping and drying is described as follows:

Sup-posing the chamber 14 tobe empty of carriers, one carrier is rolledalong the rails 18 on to the rails 17 through the left-hand door 15(suitable bridge pieces for the rails being provided) untiltheprojection 32 on the truck 20 comes into the path of one set of pins 33on its corresponding sprocket chain. One of the cranks such as the crank38 is then rotated so that said pins engage said projection 32 and forcethe truck 20 along the rails 17 to the opposite or righthand end of thechamber 14. A second truck 20 is then inserted in a similar way butallowed to remain in the left-hand end of the chamber. The downwardprojecting arm 32 of the second truck must obviously engage the pins onthe sprocket chain at the other side of the chamber from the first.After the forms have been inserted the doors 15 are closed and a vacuumor partial vacuum is created within the chamber 14.

A tank containing the solution from which thearticles are to be formedhaving been inserted within the chamber 10, one of the cranks such as 38is then turned so as to move the truck 20' with the correspondingcarrier to the center of the chamber 14 so that the head 28 engages theend of the shaft 30. The lever 31 is turned to the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 1- thereby reversing the carrier and causing theform holders and forms to be suspended downward. The doors 41 and 42 arethen opened and the valve 6 manipulated to raise the platform 7 and tank9:so that the forms on the carrier immediately above are immersed in thesolution in the tank. The tank 9 is riers are removed through theright-hand end of the chamber by reversing the operation followed inintroducing them.

After. the carriers have been removed from the dipping chambers they areinserted "in a suitable vulcanizing or curing chamber where thenecessary vulcanization of the rubber deposited on the forms isobtained.

In order to economize heat in the dipping chamber, and to preventcondensation on the forms when inserted therein the carriers and formsare preferably first introduced into a preliminary heating chamber andbrought to a temperature substantially that maintained in the dippingchamber.

It will also be understood that ii addition to heating the dippingchamber a vacuum or partial vacuum is maintained therein during thedipping operation thereby aiding evaporationand allowingthe solvent t0be collected by subsequent condensation. The use of a vacuumalso reducesthe amount of moisture Within the dipping chamber since a large part ofthe air which carries the same is removed. The final curing may also becarried out undera vacuum or partial vacuum thereby eliminatingentrapped gases and removing moisture.

Having thus described this form of my invention, what I claim and desireto protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dipping. and drying apparatus, a

vacuum chamber, means for controlling a drying medium therein, a chamberfor a dipping solution, a horizontal .support and a plurality ofcarriers thereon forforms, a carrier being disposed at .each side ofsaid chamber, means for reciprocating each carrier into and out ofregister with said chamher, and means for relatively moving the carrierand chamber to immerse the forms in the dipping solution.

' 2. In a dipping and drying apparatus,

vacuum container, means forcontrolling a drying medium therein, adipping chamber,

- a horizontal support extending beyond the opposite sides of saidchamber, and a carrier'for forms disposed on said support at each sideof the dipping chamber, each carrier being movable toward the other andinto register with said chamber.

3. In a dipping and drying apparatus, a vacuum container, a plurality ofcarriers for the forms upon which articles are to be made, means forreciprocating said carriers alternately in a rectilinear path withinsaid container and means for dipping the forms at a point intermediate.the ends of said patp, while said carriers are confined to said pat 1.

4. In a dipping and drying apparatus, a vacuum container, a plurality ofcarriers for the forms upon which articles are to be made, means forconfining the travel of said carriers to a rectilinear path through saidcontainer, and means for raising a mass of the material used in themanufacture of said articles, into contact with said forms While saidcarriers are confined in said path.

5. In a dipping and drying apparatus, a vacuum container, a plurality ofcarriers for theforms upon which articles are to be made, a horizontalguide-way. for said carriers in said containers, and means for raising amass of the material used in the manufacture of. said articles, intocontact with said forms while on said guide-way.

' the material used in the manufacture of 6. In a dipping and dryingapparatus, a vacuum container, a plurality of carriers for the forms onwhich articles are to be made, a horizontal guide-way for said carriersin said container and adapted to support two carriers therein, means formoving said carriers alternately to and from the central portion of saidcontainer and means for raising a mass of the material, used in themanufacture of said articles, into contact with said forms while on saidguideway.

7. In a dipping and drying apparatus, a vacuum container, a plurality ofcarriers for the forms on which articles are to be made, means formoving saidcarriers back and forth through said containers, means forinverting said carriers at the central portion of said container andmeans for alternately immersing said forms in a mass of said articles,while said forms are inverted.

8. In a dipping and drying apparatus, a vacuum container, a plurality ofcarriers for the forms on which articles are to be made, means formoving said carriers back and forth through said container, means forinverting said carriers at the dipping point,

and means for raising a mass of the material used in the manufacture ofsaid articles into contact with said forms when said carriers areinverted.

9. In a dipping and drying apparatus, a container, a guide-way therein,trucks adapted to travel on said guide-Way, #rriers for the forms onwhich articles are to be made mounted on said trucks, means operatedexternally of said container for pro-H pelling said trucks, and meansfor inverting said carriers on said trucks at the dipping point.

10. In a dipping and drying apparatus, a container, a guide-way therein,trucks adapted to travel on said guide-way, carriers for the forms onwhich articles are to be made mounted on said trucks, means op- 105erated externally of said container for propelling two trucks thereinindependently of each other, alternately to the dipping point, meansoperated externally of said container for inverting said carriers-at thedipping 110 point, and means for raising a mass of the material, used inthe manufacture of said articles, into contact with said forms wheninverted.

Signed at New York, N. Y. this 29th day 115 of October, 1915.

